Columbus Avenue BID Boasts 100 Percent Retail Occupancy

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The Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District has reached 100 percent occupancy for all the retail shops in its zone –an area that is part of a controversial zoning proposal that was unanimously approved by members of Community Board 7earlier this month– The Commercial Observer has learned.

The lease for 446 Columbus Avenue, once the site of Calle Ocho (a restaurant deemed too boisterous by former Hollywood heartthrob Matt Dillon), has been signed by an unknown business, bringing the occupancy rate to 1oo percent.

The occupancy rate for retail spaces in the BID’s area of coverage, which is bordered between West 67th Street and West 82nd Street, has always hovered around 94 percent, even in tough times. But this is the first time it has reached 100 percent, said Ms. Adler.

“We feel that we want to brag about this now and say ‘just leave us alone,’ because we don’t need any help,” said Ms. Adler, who could not name the new tenant at 446 Columbus Avenue.

That “help” comes in the form of a new zoning proposal that was originally designed to keep big-box retailers out of the neighborhood while keeping the smaller storefronts in operation by limiting the size of storefronts to 40 feet or less.

However, critics have been quick to point out that the proposal, if passed, will do more harm than good. This includes prohibiting existing storefronts to expand while bringing in new stores with more local character (as opposed to national chains).

Community Board 7 voted unanimously in favor of the proposal, which is said to affect 77 storefronts on the Upper West Side. The proposal is slated to be reviewed by the city Department of Planning and the City Council sometime next month.

“The end product here is a resounding endorsement of a proposal set forth by the Department of City Planning with the goal of preserving the retail character of our neighborhood,” said Mark Diller, chairman of Community Board 7, the day after the vote.

But many local business groups and residents are still voicing their displeasure about the proposal.